Meet the APA Paris team

Claire Suraqui

is the founder and director of APA Paris. After completing her first degree as an English major, she went on to study at the Ecole Supérieure d'Interprètes et de Traducteurs. As a Fullbright Scholar, Claire then continued her English language studies in the U.S. While abroad, she taught French at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. She also taught English in France to high school and university students. Following her time in the U.S., Claire worked as an administrator of the “Académie de Creteil” in Marne la Vallée. For four years, she was responsible for the research and response to all community needs concerning Marne la Vallée, one of four major cities just outside of Paris. As a French citizen born abroad, Claire Suraqui strongly identifies with the difficulties associated with integration. As a result, she created and founded Vivre et Apprendre à Paris (VIA Paris). Her exchange program, now APA Paris, was recognized and supported by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs. Claire created the program in an effort to offer and encourage students to discover what it means to integrate oneself in a new culture, and specifically France.

Blandine Corne

is the administrative assistant at the Paris office. She is in charge of host-family recruitment, assignment and the monitoring process. Blandine holds a DEA in philosophy, the equivalent of a Master 2, from the Sorbonne. She also has an MBA from Institut Supérieur des Affaires. Before joining APA, Blandine worked in communications at the biomedical department within the Ministry of Health, previously known as the “Etablissement français des Greffes.” Outside of APA Paris, Blandine sings as a soprano in “Groupe Lyrique”. She also regularly participates in operettas produced in Paris and throughout the region.

Sophie Corbeau

is the assistant director of APA Paris at the Paris office. She holds both a “Maitrise” and a DESS (equivalent to an MA) in French language education from the Sorbonne Nouvelle University. Sophie spent most of her teaching career in Paris, but she has also taught French language courses in the U.S. for 3 years at Memphis State University and Mills College, as well as one year in Great Britain. Sophie has published teaching materials for the instruction of technical French. Her works cover topics such as business French and French for the tourism and hospitality sector. Sophie spent four years at the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry. While there, she trained teachers of FLE (French as a foreign language) to teach technical French. Following her time at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Sophie worked among immigrant youth as a social counselor and professional advisor in Parisian urban communities.

Lindsay Turlan

has been the Assistant Director of the U.S. office since 2010. Before joining APA Paris, Lindsay lived and worked in France for 10 years, primarily in the fields of education and exchange. Her most recent experience in France was as head of the American Section at the Franco-American Commission for Educational Exchange-Fulbright France. Lindsay was in charge of in-bound Fulbright grantees from the U.S. Prior to her role with Fulbright, she served as an Education USA adviser within the commission promoting studies in the U.S. all over France and on U.S. college campuses as part of the U.S. State Departments International network of advisors. During this time, Lindsay was also a member of NAFSA. She served for five years on the task force for education and exchange at the American Chamber of Commerce in Paris, as well as treasurer on the Conseil d’Administration for IFE. Before arriving at the Commission, Lindsay worked as admissions director and academic advisor for the MBA program at the French business school ESG. Lindsay originally arrived in France as a Master’s student with Middlebury. She obtained her degree while simultaneously interning at the RPR political party during Jacques Chirac’s presidential re-election campaign. Lindsay’s interest in French started with her first host-family exchange to Montreal in 8th grade. She spent her senior year of high school in La Fleche, France, followed by a gap year in Europe, before returning to France for a summer in Poitiers and a semester in Paris as a junior with the North Carolina Consortium. Lindsay immensely enjoys working with students interested in taking the opportunity to experience a full immersion in France!

Constance Sherak

serves as admissions adviser to APA Paris. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in French from Stanford University. She has taught at Dartmouth and Connecticut College. Since 2006, she has taught at Yale University where she coordinates the intensive language series and teaches advanced language, stylistics, and introductory literature courses. Previously, Constance taught at Connecticut College and Dartmouth College. A specialist in nineteenth-century French literature, Constance has published articles on the novel and the poetics of the museum, on revolution and collecting, and on Christo’s wrapping of the Pont Neuf in 1985. Constance spent her junior year abroad in Montpellier, France studying at the Université Paul Valéry and was later a graduate exchange fellow at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris. Constance joined the APA Paris team in 2003 and has retained close ties with the program ever since. She teaches an annual advanced language course in Paris each summer in Yale Summer Session.

Monika Markley

is the University Relations & Marketing Manager and joined the APA team in 2016. She works closely with Lindsay, traveling to U.S. college campuses to recruit new students to study in Paris as well as working on the overall brand image of APA. Her love of France really took off after visiting Paris with her high school’s French Club during her senior year spring break. From there, she continued her French studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and spent a semester in Lyon, France. In 2015, she took a six week sabbatical in Paris to continue her language studies. With a business background, she brings a unique viewpoint so that we can continue to provide a top of the line study abroad experience to our students.